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David Mao began serving as Acting Librarian of Congress on October 1, upon the retirement of Librarian of Congress James H. Billington after 28 years. Mao has been with the Library of Congress since 2005 when he served as head of the American Law Consulting Section of the Congressional Research Service, and he has been Deputy Librarian of Congress since January. American Libraries spoke with Mao about his vision for LC about one week into his new job....
American Libraries feature, Oct. 13 |
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 Ashley Cooksey writes: “Attending conferences is like going to the spa for me. I walk away feeling renewed, refreshed, and energized. I feel ready to conquer the world, or at least my school library. One of the many reasons I love attending my state conference is for the collaboration. At a state conference, you can collaborate with so many different types of librarians, not just school librarians; and you are able to share your ideas with all of them.”...
Knowledge Quest blog, Oct. 13 |
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 The date is set, proposals are accepted, and presentations are being prepared for the fifth annual Library 2.015 Worldwide Virtual Conference. On October 20, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pacific time, the free international conference will be held online via Blackboard Collaborate web conferencing and is accessible from any personal computer and most mobile devices. Scholars, researchers, information professionals, and students are encouraged to attend. American Libraries Associate Editor Phil Morehart will be presenting on new library designs....
Library 2.0, Oct. 13 |
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Friends groups and libraries across the country will be celebrating the 10th annual National Friends of Libraries Week on October 18–24. Friends groups, trustees, and library staff can find Friends of Libraries Week materials—including promotional ideas, editable publicity materials, camera-ready bookmarks, and ideas from past celebrations—online....
United for Libraries, Oct. 5 |
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The Brooklyn Public Library will keep four of its locations open on Sundays to accommodate Brooklyn’s growing Orthodox Jewish community that can’t utilize a library on Saturday, Councilmen David G. Greenfield and Brad Lander announced on October 7. The new Sunday service will go into effect at the Midwood, Borough Park, Mapleton, and Ryder branches starting October 25. Due to union rules, operating on Sunday is considerably more expensive than any other day of the week....
Bensonhurst Bean (Brooklyn), Oct. 7 |
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D. J. Pangburn writes: “An Indianapolis-based public art and literacy project, The Public Collection, is improving on Little Free Libraries. Developed by Rachel M. Simon, the Public Collection fuses the book station with art installation, to ‘improve literacy, foster a deeper appreciation of the arts, and raise awareness for education and social justice in our community.’ To do this, Simon invited nine local artists to make book stations that doubled as sculptural works and placed them in various locations around the city.”...
Good, Oct. 12 |
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Christina Manzo writes: “Since its 2006 launch, Buzzfeed has become an internet institution by recognizing and capitalizing on the insatiable life cycle of viral media. According to analytics website QuantCast, the site saw 146 million visits in May 2015 alone. Buzzfeed’s business model relies on shareability, which is why library website designers have the opportunity to learn from Buzzfeed’s overwhelming success. Here are the top five lessons library website designers can learn from Buzzfeed.”...
Weave 1, no. 3 (2015) |
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Ethan Evans writes: “I appreciate the cultural shift that’s happening with gaming. I know that as an English teacher, I was expected to be shaking my finger at kids who want to rot their minds with all those TV shows and games. I was supposed to be pushing them to read books instead. But I don’t think gaming is a hindrance to what English teachers and librarians are promoting. Here’s a list of games that show exceptional craft when it comes to storytelling.”...
YALSA The Hub, Oct. 13
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Philip Minchin writes: “If games and play are a fraction as important as I believe they are, they deserve intelligent, considered, literate discussion comparable to what we afford literature, cinema, and other arts. However, games need their own critical vocabulary. And libraries can offer this, not only by including games in their collections, but by cataloging them properly, with reference to narrative or thematic elements, publication metadata, and the actual details of how they are played.”...
International Games Day, Oct. 5
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Keith Stuart writes: “Buying a new games console is one of those most vitally important decisions you can make in life. Choose correctly, and you’re guaranteed years of fun and entertainment; make a bad call, and you’ll have a useless black box under your TV. So let’s say you’ve committed to buying at least one shiny new machine. Which should it be? Here is a quick guide to where the big consoles are right now.”...
The Guardian (UK), Oct. 12 |
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Jim Fisher writes: “When it comes to shopping for electronics, digital cameras are among the more difficult products to purchase. Not only are there dozens of models to choose from, there are different types ranging from pocket-friendly point-and-shoots to advanced D-SLRs and mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses. There are five main classes of cameras to consider, and we’ll break them down to help you decide which type of camera will best suit your needs and your budget.”...
PC Magazine, Oct. 7 |
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Alison Marcotte writes: “As patrons enter the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, they are greeted by a robot modeled after former Broward County (Fla.) Library Director Samuel F. Morrison. The sensor-activated replica gives visitors insights into the library and local community. The animatronic, unveiled in May, relates to the library’s history as well as Morrison, who was director from 1990 to 2003.”...
AL: The Scoop, Oct. 9 |
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Bohyun Kim writes: “Noticing their relevance to STEM education, some libraries are making robots available to patrons. Westport (Conn.) Public Library provides robot training classes for its two Nao robots. Chicago Public Library lends a number of Finch robots that patrons can program to see how they work. In celebration of National Robotics Week back in April, San Diego Public Library hosted its first Robot Day educating the public about how robots have made an impact on society.”...
ACRL TechConnect Blog, Oct. 12 |
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